Blue Velvet Dreams
by Wolvertique
Summary: Storm is having strange, wonderful dreams about Kurt. Her reality is turning into a nightmare. What's going on? Read to find out!
1. Dream

Story Note: The plot is, in part, taken from a roleplaying session with my husband. If you like the explanation, and yes, there will be one, thanks are due in part to him! The idea for Storm having the starring role was due to a request for Kuroro from an acquaintance who liked my Where I Belong arc. Now, on with the dream.

I am surrounded by acres and acres of deep blue velvet, soft and deep, studded with points of gold, like stars. I sink into it gladly. It is warm and wraps around me, and turns into a face. His dear face. My beloved Kurt.   
  
"You are very quiet tonight, liebchen."   
  
I looked up from my papers. Twenty essays on "Creative Uses for Elemental Powers" to grade, and I chose to look them over in the den with everyone else. "I am busy, Kurt." I smiled. In many ways, Kurt is the heart of the X-men, making sure all of us are all right. I wonder sometimes who checks on him when he is feeling sad.   
  
"Ja, but I asked you a question." His eyes gleamed at me. Unlike normal, I felt a flutter in my stomach. Gas?   
  
"I'm sorry. I was busy grading." I looked down again. No, not gas.   
  
"Would you be able to go to the movies with me tomorrow night? They are having a de Havilland/Flynn double feature, and I would hate to have to go alone." He made puppy-dog eyes at me. I looked at the rest of the group. Jean was resting against Logan comfortably, Scott cracked his knuckles, and Rogue was staring.   
  
Alone with Kurt in the dark ... I squirmed a little at the thought, and Logan's eyes widened as his nose twitched. Damn. It's impossible to keep secrets in this place.   
  
"I don't know," I temporized, trying to think logically. "I do have a lot to do ..."   
  
He leaped to my side. "Please?" he breathed, warm breath rushing to my neck. I felt heat rising in my face.   
  
"Very well," I blurted out, getting up and rushing to the door. "Now, I must go get this done."   
  
***********   
I awoke with a start. What was this? I did not have feelings for Kurt Wagner. He was with Amanda, anyway.   
  
But the dream lingered as I started my day. What madness was this? 


	2. Reality

I heard shouting coming from Scott and Jean's room again as I made my way down to breakfast. They had been quarreling a lot lately, I mused. Rogue and Remy were fighting, too, over her leaving him in Antarctica.

Kurt and Logan were already in the kitchen as I arrived. Kurt was holding a postcard and grinning. Amanda probably writing to him again from another exotic location … I felt a pang of jealousy. This was ridiculous. I turned my gaze to Logan and nodded. He looked unwell, like he hadn't been sleeping. "Ro," he said.

"She's in Brazil." Kurt held up the postcard to me so I could see the back. Blue water, palm trees … beauty. For a moment, I wished I was there.

I got out some bread and started making toast. Why was I fixating on Kurt? This had to stop. I concentrated on my jelly.

Jean entered the room with quick hard steps. "Men," she said sourly. She sat at the table and put her head down on it. Logan frowned and looked down at his empty plate.

Kurt put down his postcard. "Ja, Jean, what is wrong now?"

"What isn't?" Jean pounded the table with her fist. "Scott is insane. He insisted that I was planning on leaving him last night just because I was looking at the boy who bags our groceries. So what? I have eyes. Can't I use them?"

Logan's face twitched. He got up and left the room without a word. I sat down and took her hand. She raised her head. "I know Scott has abandonment issues, but can't he once, just once, trust me?"

"Scott has no reason to have those issues, chere." Remy stood in the doorway, black anger on his face. "Now Gambit, he got good reason to have them." He spoke loudly and clearly. A door banged from somewhere else in the mansion. "Someone think Gambit no good, throw him away at the first chance she get."

"Oh, shut up, would you?" Rogue appeared behind him and shoved past him roughly. "Get over it. It's not like you have that high an opinion of yourself either, thief."

Pain flared on both their faces, but was quickly masked, Remy reverting to his usual amused expression and Rogue to her usual defiance. Jean closed her eyes. Kurt cleared his throat. "Meine freunde, would it be too much to ask that we all pretend to like each other?"

I shoved toast into my mouth. Not enough jelly. I put more on it. Every knife stroke had to be perfect.

Rogue swallowed. "I am sorry, swamp rat." Remy looked down and put his hands in his pockets. "Same, chere."

I tried something new. "The professor wants us to do some clearing out of the files in the basement this week. Perhaps you can help me with them today, Jean … and with your help, Rogue, we can make even quicker work. And Kurt, maybe you can get the men to start upgrading the Danger Room. Those new protocols won't program themselves."

Kurt sighed. "Only if Scott and Logan can stop their stupid petty rivalry. Otherwise, they could end up destroying things that should be maintained."

Jean looked up. "I guess. Scott can't accuse me of leaving him for Rogue."

"Maybe he can, sugar." Rogue winked at Jean, and Remy's eyes burned with rage.

"Let's go, Kurt. Gambit know he not wanted here." He swept from the room, and Rogue looked after him. "Remy?" she called. Kurt followed Gambit.

Rogue's face fell. "He's so … sensitive, lately," she said, lamely. 

What was happening to us? Why were things not working out? Somehow we had gotten along before. What had changed?


	3. Dreaming Again

It had been an exhausting day. We must have looked through thousands of files together, Rogue, Jean, and I. I did not know what the men had done, though I found my mind turning to Kurt a few times. Was he all right?

I decided to go to bed early. I have to admit I hoped for another blue velvet dream. As I turned from the kitchen with another serving of toast and jelly, I saw Kurt in the door, holding that cursed card from Amanda again, clutching it strongly. He was, however, looking at me.

If only he was looking at me as he had in his dream … mischievous and interested. "Rough day?" I said at last.

He blinked. "Yes, on the whole. Logan did not return. I worry about him. How were the others?"

I sighed. "They worked hard, and complained about Remy and Scott some. We got some of the files cleared out, though, and put others in a pile to be transferred to disk." I approached the door. He stood, then quickly got out of my way when I would have brushed against him to get by. I could not hold back a tear as I moved past. He could not even stand to touch me.

Maybe my dreams would be better, I thought, as I raced to my bed.

Soon, I was in bed, my eyes closed, and I waited. I was, thankfully, not disappointed. Acres of blue velvet stretched out into infinity, shining with gold, and his face came to me again.

He wore a top hat, suit, and cape, and bowed to me. "Ororo, you are lovely tonight. It is an honor to be your escort."

"Are you going to use your image inducer, Kurt?" I took his arm and we walked down to the front of the mansion.

"Alas, the world is not ready for a blue Robin Hood." He turned it on and became a fairly ordinary-looking man. "Madelyne is bringing the car around."

"Madelyne?" If Scott's wife was bringing the car, that could mean only one thing … "Oh, Kurt! What did you do to get Scott to let you use his Firebird?"

"Only sold him my soul." He laughed at my expression. "And maybe a promise to look after Alex the next time he and Madelyne wanted to go somewhere."

"Oh." Madelyne pulled up and got out.

"Bye, kids. Enjoy storming the castle," she called as Kurt took me around and took off.

We got to the theater early, and Kurt had fun telling me odd facts about the movies we were about to see. The Sea-Hawk was first, and we took our seats in time to see some of the early publicity stills and advertisements for the movie. Then we settled in to watch.

Kurt casually wrapped his arm around me in the first five minutes, and his tail around my arm within the first ten. He mouthed half the lines before the actors did. Then he turned my face toward his during a big battle scene, intending to kiss me.

I shook my head and pulled back. He looked confused, then hurt. I beckoned him and moved to the aisle, then out of the theater. "What is wrong?" he asked, as I held the door open for him.

"Kurt, I am sorry. But when you kiss me, I want you to kiss me, not someone I don't know and don't … care about."

His eyes lit up. "You mean you care for me, liebe?"

"Of course I do," I said impatiently.

He nodded. "I can wait."

We watched the rest of the first movie, got some popcorn, and watched The Adventures of Robin Hood quietly, holding hands. His hand was warm and soft on the surface, and gripped mine firmly, especially when I tried to let go. "I have to scratch my nose," I whispered. So he moved his hand with mine, and I scratched my nose with his hand holding mine tightly.

Afterward, we talked some about the movies and laughed, driving home with the wonderful wind in our faces. When I parked the car in the garage in its special place and we put the canvas cover back over it, Kurt turned off his image inducer.

"Ororo, have you had a good time tonight?"

I walked toward him, then stopped, a little nervous. "I have."

"Want to do it again some time?" He closed the distance between us and looked seriously into my eyes.

I swallowed. "Yes. I do."

His smile came closer, and we kissed sweetly, then passionately. He then broke off and caressed my cheek, a soft touch that sang down my spine. "Guten nacht, liebe. Auf wiedersehen."

He walked away, and I slowly entered the mansion in a daze, waving away Scott's anxious questions about his car and Remy's more personal questions about how our date had gone.


	4. Kurt's Reality

Kurt Wagner:

I am a horrible sinner.

I ran to my room and lit several candles to the Virgin and the saints, and bowed my head.

Dear God,

Have mercy on me. I have committed the sin of lust after my teammate, Ororo Munroe, also known as Storm, at least ten times today.

I have tried to remain faithful to my love, Amanda. I have done my best to keep my mind on her. I kept her lovely postcard with me today, which spoke of the good time she was having and how much she missed me. She even said we would have to talk when she returned of finally making an honest woman of her.

I love Amanda. I wish to marry her. She and I have been together for years. It is not fair to drop her for someone else.

Yet, dear Lord, I sin. I merely have to see her, hear her voice, and I wish to remain by her side forever. I wish to do … intimate things with her. I imagine what her body would be like while I do these things, and I do not wish to stop thinking about them.

Please have mercy on me.

Oh, Mary, Queen of Heaven, pray for me. Help me to be faithful to my love. Ask your Son to bless me with some of His strength. If possible, take this temptation from me.

I nearly reached out to touch her tonight, nearly stayed in the doorway. I wonder what would happen if I did stay, what her skin would feel like against me. I wonder if she feels the same, if her hand longs for my touch, if her lips desire my kiss. I can just see it, her eyes shining bluer than my fur, getting closer to mine, tasting, touching …

Oh, dear Lord. I am profaning my prayers with my desires for her!

Well. I will make sure I can focus, no matter what.

I found my fencing epee on the wall with my tail and raised it high. I will forget her. I will focus on God, not my beautiful sin.

With resolution, I brought the epee down again and again on my back, crying out from the pain, screaming my sin to God. I will not think of Storm. I will not think of Storm.

Dear God, lady Mary … help me. Cleanse me. Forgive me.

I do not know if I can keep myself from her without your help.


	5. Logan's Reality

Something was wrong. I couldn't quite sink my claws into the reason why, but every bone in my body itched with the feeling.

Take Jean, for example. I'd long ago realized she wasn't for me. She chose Summers, married him. His scent was all over her. Hrrrrrm.

I wanted to kill him. No reason, no rhyme. Just plunge deep into his chest and eat his heart, then take Jean for my own.

It was weird, though. Something else kept holding me back. It was something about him, the way he behaved. I couldn't think about it, couldn't pin it down, but that something else inside me kept whispering, "No. Not yet. Wait, then strike."

Everything and everyone smelled wrong. The air bristled with tension. Something inside me kept at me, pushing me, and I couldn't sleep.

Maybe a good game of hunt the elf would help. Yeah. He'd been kinda down too, with Amanda off flying all over the world again.

I checked the kitchen. The only person in there was Rogue, with a nasty frown on her face and a cup of yogurt in her hands. Since I didn't want any part of either, I moved on.

On to the Danger Room. Ah. There he was, checking out the controls. I sniffed. He was moving kinda stiff and he smelled of tears, incense, and smoke.

I leaned against the wall, acting casual. "Hey, furball."

He turned to me, wincing a little. "Furball yourself. What do you want?" He looked tired. Maybe he'd already tried the Danger Room out this morning.

I shrugged and lit a cigar. "Wondered if you were up for a little target practice, but I guess you've already had a bit of a workout."

He tried to smile, but stopped. "Not exactly. I don't think I'd be up for anything physical right now."

"What happened to your back?" I tensed, just in case. His face fell and his shoulders drooped.

"I just … I need to see Amanda again soon. I think I'm missing her too much."

I saw my chance, and I dove, slashing the uniform from his back. He cried out in surprise and I sucked in a breath. His back was crisscrossed with thin bruises. "What the HELL is wrong with you, Kurt?" Now I knew it. There was something seriously wrong here, and when the prof got back in a few days, I was gonna tell him.

Tears leaking from his eyes, Kurt turned to face me, then looked away and curled up on the floor, sobbing into his arms. I reached out to touch him. "Hey, Kurt?"

He screamed. "Do not … don't touch me … I can't … promised … in the rain …"

Right. Sometimes you gotta ignore what other people want for what's good for them. I tipped his head up. "Elf. Listen to me. Something's out of whack here with all of us. I can't figure it out unless you help me some. Now. What's driving you crazy?"

"We were outside that day, in the rain," he said slowly, dripping into my hand. "I promised in my heart that there would be no one else. I vowed it to God that I would ask her to marry me, and I did. I cannot break a holy oath but … mein freund, every time I see her, I want to."

" 'Her' who?" If he said "Jean," I might have to kill him, instead of the One Eyed Monster.

He wiped away some tears. "Storm."

Good. That cut down my potential targets. "Well, talk to her."

"Easy for you to say." He sniffled and wiped his eyes again.

"Hey. Is **not** talking helping you any?"

He got up. "So are you going to talk to Jean?"

I cleared my throat. Gotta lay off the cigars. "We ain't talkin' about me. We're talking about you."

He pressed on. "Why would you not talk to her? Is **not** talking helping you any?"

I growled. "Yes, damn you."

"How?" He waited for my answer, a dangerous gleam in his eyes.

"Rrrrrrrrrrrr." I cut off the growl rumbling in my chest and took a deep breath. "Because, if I talk to her, there's no way I'll just 'talk' to her. I know it." Oh, the idea … gotta stop. Gotta focus. Jean …

He nodded. "That is my fear as well."

Well. 

Damn.

I left him there in the dark. Maybe he couldn't talk to Storm, but I could.


	6. Storm Awakes

Author's Note: This turns R-rated here for some disturbing, but utterly not graphic, sexual imagery. But trust Wolvertique. She'll make things turn out all right in the end. Now, on with the story.

When I realized I was awake again, that I was no longer in the world of my dreams that felt so real, I started crying. I could not help it. I wanted to be in that world, wanted to be loved, wanted to live with others who loved each other and cared for me. I sobbed. I moaned. Why could the real world not be as was my dream?

Yes, Madelyne Pryor was dead in real life. Yes, Rogue had left Remy in Antarctica in real life, when in my dreams she had made herself stay with him and rescued him. Yes, I realized I had to deal with things as they were, including Kurt's love for Amanda and not me.

But I did not want to. Gods, I wanted to pull the covers over my head and pretend that real life was a dream, and my dreams were the reality.

Eventually, I looked at the time. Eleven o'clock? In the MORNING? I had slept late.

I hurried into a shower and into some old jeans and a T-shirt. The jeans had shrunk a little, but I managed to get them on and headed to the kitchen.

Remy was there, reading the paper. Reading the paper? Remy almost never read anything. I popped some bread into the toaster and looked over his shoulder. "Is it Calvin, or Hobbes, who has captured your attention?"

He looked up and smiled a little. "Naw. Always had a thing for Brenda Starr, chere."

I sat next to him. "Remy, can I ask you something?"

He put down the paper and stretched a little. "Chere, you can ask this thief anything you want, any time."

My toast popped up. "Why do you stay with her?"

He looked away from me, face tight. "That the million dollar question, Storm. Gambit not sure." His fingers tapped the paper lightly. "Maybe hoping for a reason. Maybe because he a sick bastard."

I put a hand on his shoulder. He smiled reluctantly and took my hand. "You always a friend. Maybe that why Gambit come back."

I laughed a little. "Maybe."

I put my toast on a plate and hunted for the jelly. I could not find it. I looked behind the numerous cases of alcohol (who had been buying so much lately, anyway?) but it was not there.

"Remy? Did you take the last of the raspberry jelly?"

It was his turn to laugh. "Chere, Remy accused of stealin' women, jewelry, cars, all sorts of things. He never before accused of stealin' fruit. Not his style, anyway, hein?"

I sighed. I would have to eat it dry, then.

When I was finished, I checked the chore list on the refrigerator. I was down for … laundry duty? How could this be? Everyone knew by now about my claustrophobia. Being down there … having to be under the earth again …

On the other hand, I would be almost certain to be alone there. Then I could think and work without interruption. I could even pretend I was in the world of my dream. I smiled.

I went down to the basement. I did what Charles had told me to do numerous times before. I imagined the basement's roof was open to the sunlight streaming down. I basked in its light. Then I got to work.

I spent about half an hour down there, happily throwing clothes into tubs, sorting and measuring, and then I heard the voices. I had not spent much time in the laundry room before, and I did not know that the main pipe conducted sound very well from the upper floor den.

"Logan!" Jean sounded surprised.

"Jeannie." He paused. "I'll just …"

"No, no. It's okay." She waited. "How have you been?"

He growled. "How do you think?"

Pause. "Logan, I …"

"Save it. I'm outta here."

"No." He stopped. "Please stay."

"Jeannie. Don't do this to me. I'm tryin' to be good, darlin.' Just let me go, or walk out yourself."

Pause. "Maybe this is what is good, Logan."

Oh, Gods … I do not want to hear this. I care for Scott, too, and this could destroy him.

They were quiet again. Good. Maybe he left. Maybe she fell asleep. Maybe they were not kissing.

"My room. Five minutes. Be there." He left the den.

"Oh, I will." Jean laughed.

My head hurt. The sun had gone, and the walls were closing in again. I had to go. I went out and flew around for a while, letting the wind take me away. This could not be happening. It made me ill, thinking about what they were doing. How could she? How could he? I had been at Scott and Jean's wedding. It was where Kurt had announced his engagement to Amanda. How could anyone?

More than ever, I wished for my dream world.


	7. Facing Reality

I came back in time for dinner. I could hear the shouting as I landed, and I hesitated, but I could not avoid it any longer. Reluctantly, I went in the kitchen door.

"… always staring at her, always stalking her. Why can't you accept it?"

"Why can't you?" Logan and Scott were fighting again. Great. Just what I needed.

The two of them were glaring at each other, eye to eye, at the end of the room. Kurt looked up as if to say something, then caught my gaze and instead stared at his plate. Remy was shuttling cards through his hands, Rogue was moodily eating cereal, and Jean was watching the two men, looking torn.

"What is this fighting?" I couldn't take it any more. "Leave each other alone. You are behaving like children. Scott has married Jean. That settles things. Now, sit down and eat."

Logan sniggered, then started laughing. Scott drew himself up rigidly. Jean's eyes flickered from one man to the next, and she looked guilty and sad. "I…I'm sorry. I don't feel like eating." She bolted from the room, and Logan glared around, then followed her.

Scott's rigid pose relaxed, and then he walked slowly past the rest of us toward the kitchen door and left.

"Kurt?" He jumped a little as I spoke, then put his fork down.

"Ja?" His voice trembled.

"Go after them. Knock their heads together, if you have to. Do not let them withdraw again." And keep them from making matters worse, I thought silently.

He nodded and teleported from the room, still avoiding my eyes. I looked at the others. "I will handle Scott. Can you two behave if I leave you alone?"

Remy's face darkened, and Rogue thrust her chin forward in rebellion. "We aren't kids, Storm. We can take care of ourselves."

"When we don't abandon people we love to die, chere."

I turned on Gambit. "That's exactly what I'm talking about. Cut it out. That is no longer acceptable behavior." I turned to Rogue. "Leave the room if you have to. I will not have more fights tonight, no matter what. I … I love all of you. Stop hurting me this way."

I followed Scott. He had gone to the small gazebo in back and was sitting on the wooden plank, arms wrapped around his knees. He was crying.

I was not accustomed to dealing with a crying Cyclops, but I did my best. I put my arm around his back. He flinched away from it, but I held on.

"You know," he said after a little while, "I never thought I'd be good enough for Jean. She was my ideal, you know? She was everything I wanted. But I was always afraid that once I got her, she'd leave me. Now, Logan tells me he's going to try … I don't understand. Part of me feels that he's right, that she really belongs with him, but I don't want to let her go."

I sat and bent my head. "I don't understand, either, Scott."

He looked up at the sky. "All my life, practically, I couldn't see what was in front of me. It was all murky red, Jean and you and everyone. The one thing I've known is that she loved me. She really did. And now, I don't know that any more."

I didn't know what to say. I felt guilty because of what I had heard earlier. Finally, I said, "You do know one other thing. We all need you as part of the team, and part of the vision of a peaceful humanity."

"Yeah?" His blank visor looked at me, and I shuddered a little. "Well, thanks. But it doesn't make up for … if I can't have her, who do I have?"

__

Madelyne, my mind whispered. I shook my head. "All of us, Scott. Working together. It's not what I hoped for either, but it is enough." It has to be. 


	8. Awake or Asleep?

Scott and Jean had finally gone to their room, Logan had apologized and told Kurt that he would speak with me in the morning, and Rogue and Remy were both alive, but not speaking to each other. It was the best we could hope for at the moment.

I smiled as I approached my bed. Finally, it was time to sleep again. I was exhausted. I hoped I would enter that world again, that bright velvet world of love and laughter.

My eyes closed. The eternity of blue velvet wrapped around me, and I was taken into a room with Jean.

Jean?

She spoke, teasing. "So, have you set a date yet?"

I laughed. "You just want everyone to get married because you are getting married."

She shrugged. "Guilty." She cut more fabric as she spoke. We were having a fitting of my gown. Jean had insisted on outfitting all of the X-men, as well as the attendants, which was taking time.

"You should propose to him. He might be surprised enough that he'd agree." Jean was nothing if not persistent.

"Look, just because something worked for you, it doesn't mean it'll work for me." I turned.

"Stop wiggling. I have to get this hem straight." Jean smacked me, lightly, and I stood still. "Well, marriage isn't really Logan's thing, but he was willing to indulge me." She smiled. "Besides, I think Kurt would like it. Make it romantic, you know? Light lots of candles, wine, soft music …"

I giggled. "I could just give him a beer, shoot some pool, say, 'You're mine, elf,' and move in with him."

"Yeah, but he's not me." Logan stood in the door and raised an eyebrow. "Now, if you did that to **me** …"

"You'd smile at her and say no, thanks. Right?" Jean smiled brightly at him, and he put his hands up.

"Well, yeah. 'Ro's not my type." He looked me over and whistled. "Though if she dressed like that **all** the time …"

I felt heat rising into my face, and Jean gave him a dirty look. "Ignore the lustful boor, Storm. He just doesn't understand."

Logan crossed to Jean and kissed her, hard and long, and I had to look away. I hated to admit it, but I did want to marry Kurt, and I was becoming more impatient the longer things took.

"All right. Now go. I have to get Storm's gown adjusted." Jean patted her hair a little, and Logan gave me a wink on his way out the door. She was done, actually, and had me remove it. I gave it a longing look as I put on my old clothes. It was long, midnight blue, with white silk at the top over my chest. It swept up over my shoulders, like the crest of a wave.

"So, what's on the agenda now?" Jean hung up the dress and I straightened my shirt.

"I think I might take a shower out back. Keep the kids away, would you?"

"Sure!" Jean beamed. "Glad to. No problem. Besides, it's been really dry."

I walked out and got out of eyesight from the mansion. Good. I threw off my boring old constricting clothing and began. I brought in clouds slowly, and began a gentle spring shower. I rose a little way into the air, the gentle breeze cushioning me. It felt wonderful. The water was just warm enough, refreshing against my naked skin, and I sang a little as the winds picked up and the strength of the rain increased.

I extended my consciousness, picking up the joy of the grass and the trees as the water soaked in, and the delight of the man who watched me, believing he should go but enjoying the sight far too much to pry himself out of his tree. I turned in his direction and called, "Come in, Kurt. The water is fine."

"I do not think I should. I should go." His eyes looked around the tree, then hid behind the trunk again. I directed some water his way.

"Don't make me bring you over here." I threw my head back, letting the water go down my throat. Perfect. Wonderful.

"Are you certain?" He made his way down from the tree and stood under it.

I brought him over to me with the wind, and he gasped. "I suppose you are."

"I know what I want, Kurt Wagner. Do you?"

He met my eyes, overwhelmed but eager. "Ja," he whispered, and we spent the rest of the time enjoying my small storm together.

Eventually, the rain must end, and it did, but I nudged him. "Look."

He caught his breath. I had created a rainbow for him, a double one, and we watched as it followed the remains of the rain.

"Wait here," he said, pulling on his clothes again and teleporting away. When he returned, he got to one knee, looking solemn. I also went to one knee and took his hand.

"Geliebt Ororo, mein Herz, liebes, would you do me the great honor of agreeing to become my wife?" He held out a small dark ring. It was hand-carved, and had a pattern on it of spades and clouds.

"Well," I said slowly, turning the ring over in my hand, "I will let you do me the honor of agreeing to be my husband."

"Mein starker Wind, it will be my pleasure." We embraced, and he whispered to me, "Now, you are going to have to go back again."

I pulled away. This did not make sense. "What do you mean?"

He smiled at me sadly. "You know. You must go back."

"Back where we fightin', chere." Remy stood next to Kurt, his eyes burning into me.

"Back where we are confused." Jean stood next to Remy.

"Back to where we kinda got lost." Logan stood next to Jean, rubbing her hand.

Looking at each of them, I said, "Back to reality, you mean?"

Kurt kissed me gently. "No, Storm. You think it is real. But it is not, entirely."

I did not know what to believe. "What isn't real? What happened?"

The four of them looked at each other, and Logan raised a finger. "I'll take this one. Storm, darlin', we can't tell ya too much. If we do, we'll be found out. You gotta figure it out yourself. But Kurt's got one last thing that should help ya set things right. Tell her," he said, jerking his head toward me.

Kurt bent down and kissed my ear. He said, quietly, "Do what you did to find the enemy within on the Z'reee Shar, before you left in the shuttle. Now, go back, and remember us."

I fell, fell back and awoke in my bed in the mansion.


	9. Reality Unmasked

I sat up and held my head.

My head felt real.

Could this all be a dream?

Were my dreams being sent to torture me?

Was it all a plot by some enemy out to destroy us, again?

I hesitated. I could do what "Kurt" asked me to. I knew what he meant. But what if something went wrong? What if that was what they wanted me to do?

There was a hard knock at my door, and Logan walked in. "Ten-thirty already, 'Ro. Time to get up."

"Logan!" I did not care that I was naked. I did care that he had invaded my privacy.

"What?" He stopped and looked at me, puzzled. "We gotta talk, and it's gotta be now. Something's wrong."

"What do you mean?" I found my slippers and put my feet into them.

"Everything. I don't know. This ain't right, though. Everything feels wrong, smells wrong. Every instinct I have tells me that things aren't right." He was pacing, his hands gesturing violently. "Yesterday, I just … well, I did something I wasn't proud of, but I'm not sorry for it. I should be, though. But I shouldn't, either."

"You and Jean?" I ventured.

He stopped, frowning. "How'd you know?"

"Laundry."

"Damn it." He half-extended his claws. "I don't do things like that, 'Ro. I don't. So why did I? Hell, why did she?"

Suspicion grew in my mind. "Logan, do you remember when the Brood had infected us?"

He stared at me. "Yeah. Think they got our number again?"

"I don't know. But I'm going to find out." I extended my senses, using my empathy with nature to search Logan out. He was as he always was. Then I scanned my own body, and found a new life within.

But it was not what I expected.

"Oh, Gods…" The dreams did point to truth. I had to be certain, though, before I took action.

"Logan, get the team together in the briefing room. Now."

He looked at me with concern. "Why? Are ya infected again?"

I frowned. "No. But I think we all need to have a talk. Especially Kurt."

"Kurt?" Logan scratched his head. "How'd you find out about him?"

"What?" Find out what?

"Ya know, his little punishment of himself so he could forget you and stay with Amanda."

Logan kept talking, but I took another turn of the kaleidoscope. Oh, my. This made things clearer.

I broke into Logan's speech. "Just get them all there. Now."

I hurried into my clothes and held a hand over my stomach. _We will figure things out, little one. And then, we will have some serious fighting to do._

*****************************

The team sat sullenly in the briefing room. Jean was sitting next to Remy. Rogue sat next to Kurt. Scott stood over by the wall. Logan sat next to Remy.

I breathed in and out, slowly. "I have been having some disturbing dreams lately. They seem very real. And they are all about you."

A sharp intake of breath to my left. "I seem to operate within a different framework when I am in that dream world. In that place, I know that Rogue did not leave Remy in Antarctica. Scott did not leave Madelyne, and he and she are living at the mansion with their children. Jean and Logan were getting married. And Kurt and I are engaged."

"So you're having some pretty dreams, sugar. So what?" Rogue stared at me hard. "It doesn't mean anything."

"I would have agreed with you, Rogue, were it not for two things. Logan, too, finds the current situation unbearably wrong." I nodded to him, and he gave me a brief salute. "And I have discovered something that, to my knowledge, could not have happened if everything we believed was real."

I turned my gaze to Kurt. He squirmed a little. "Kurt. Have you ever been intimate with me?"

He looked at me, distrustful, then thoughtful. "No. Of course not! I love Amanda."

"You love Amanda." I stood and paced a little. "You're engaged, too. Right?"

"Ja. Are you all right, Ororo?" His thoughtful gaze became one of concern.

I nodded. "In my dream last night, you told me that, once I came back to this reality, I would find something that would help me figure out what was real and what was not. You told me to what I did before, when I discovered the Brood infection within my body." I paused. This was not going to be easy, and I did not relish talking about it in this way, at this time.

Jean leaned toward me. "So? Are you infected? Are we being invaded again?"

"No. I'm pregnant." The X-men all looked at each other, confused. "Now, I know there is no way for me to have become pregnant. I have not been involved with anyone for the past three months. Or, at least, I remember no one. Unless he took advantage of me in my sleep - and you would not do that, would you, Kurt?"

Everyone stared at my love, and he looked stricken. "I did not - I would not - I - you must be mistaken!"

"Exactly." I thought for a brief moment, then continued. "So someone else must have altered our reality, enough so that when we became lovers, I did not remember it, and neither did you. Someone else like, perhaps, Mastermind?"

I spoke coldly. "Come out now. Coward."

A deep voice spoke behind me. "Very clever, Wind Rider." The form of Charles Xavier wheeled toward me. "We did a divide and conquer strategy on you. And it was all so easy!"

We all fell into our typical defensive stances as he spoke.

"Scott was the easiest to dupe, of course. He still loved Jean, and a part of him will always wish he had wed her. And Jean felt some guilt deep down about finally choosing Logan. We all know Remy has issues. It was easy to implant the idea that Rogue had abandoned him. After all, he isn't good enough for her anyway. Right, cher?"

Remy breathed a little faster, but he never took his eyes from the master illusionist.

"Rogue? Well. She was a little harder to convince, but implanting the idea that she had absorbed his self-hate excused her own guilt for abandoning her lover. Kurt was harder still, but I switched his memories of you, Storm, with the image of Amanda Sefton. And you, of course, found it hard to believe anyone really loved you after all this time alone. The animal had his instincts, but we thought that controlling his mind would be enough." He looked at Logan with hatred. "Apparently, it wasn't."

"All right." Logan had enough. "Now, you die."

"Ah-ah. Careful, careful. This body now is mine. I said we had a divide and conquer strategy." Jean was holding Logan back. "We gave Charles' mind to an old friend of his so I could have his body to live in. I didn't like my old one. And we could have the rest of it … the mansion and all, once you all broke up or killed each other."

"What old friend?" Scott forced out, sounding nearly as passionate as Logan.

"Why, the Shadow King. Charles is lost in the astral plane. And it will take much effort on your parts to get him back. If you can at all."


	10. Scott's Reality

I started getting sick as Storm spoke. I knew things were wrong between Jean and me, but I didn't know why before. Now, I did, and I was glad the wall was there to hold me up.   
  
Guilt came crashing over me in waves. Bobby would probably say there was nothing unusual about that. Damn. Bobby wouldn't make jokes with me again for a long time, if I survived this adventure.   
  
I couldn't look at anyone. Wyngarde's sneering voice, in those few words, cut me into pieces. I was a betraying bastard, and I hated myself for it. Probably not as much as either Logan or Jean hated me now, but I was working on it.   
  
Oh, God. I'd hurt Jean before, and Logan and I were never great friends, but this was going to kill her. And Madelyne … the efforts I'd made to convince her I no longer loved Jean ... what good were they now? I mean, sure, he was controlling my mind, but he was right. A part of me still did love and want Jean, despite my commitment to and love for Madelyne and the children.   
  
Logan started growling as Storm continued. I pretended not to notice, but he was getting more tense by the second. I shifted to a defensive stance and tried to listen to her.   
  
"We have had help to break out of our trances, but I believe that is all the help we can expect. Now, we need to keep Wyngarde safe and out of our heads, and get rid of the Hellfire Club."   
  
Two things happened almost simultaneously. Ororo hit Wyngarde hard enough to knock him out, and Logan nearly skewered me. He would have done it, if I hadn't been practicing in the Danger Room every day, trying to forget. It was definitely a killing blow, and I wasn't sure I'd be able to avoid his next one. I did my best to prepare, keeping the table between us and waiting for his next strike.   
  
He rose into the air and hung there, howling in rage and frustration. I took my hand away from my visor and looked at my savior guiltily. "Why?" I asked her. She didn't look at me. Her eyes were on him.   
  
"Let me down, Jeannie. Scott needs to die, and I need to kill him," Logan growled passionately. "Now."   
  
"No." She walked past me, cutting off the murderous gaze he was boring through me. "Think about it for a minute. He might be helpful in taking out the Hellfire Club."   
  
"We can do without him." His wild eyes sought me out again. "What good is he? He ain't a telepath, and we've got enough fighters without One-Eye."  
  
I could not look at him or her any more. I shot a glance down the table. Ororo was tying up Wyngarde, Remy had a hand on Rogue and a hand in his pocket, Rogue was looking up at him with guilt and love, and Kurt's eyes darted from Logan to his fiancée, Ororo. No one was looking at me. I shrank back into my usual defensive silence.   
  
"He could help us find the professor again, or come up with a solution to our problem once we find him." Jean took another step toward her husband. I looked down at the floor. I'd never noticed the carpeting in here before. Fascinating.   
  
"Jean? He can't just do this to you. I won't let it happen. He's got to pay." Logan spoke with a little less rage, but no less passion, and I winced away from it.   
  
"Maybe he does. But not with his life." She moved again. "If you have to get your anger out right now, Logan, do it on our enemies, the people who made him do this. But I will not let you go unless you promise that you will not kill Scott now, and will not try to unless and until the professor is safe and we are, too."   
  
She whispered something. There were some sounds I couldn't place. I didn't want to. I wondered if I should live. Maybe I'd be better off with a claw through the heart. No. That would be too easy. I still had duties and responsibilities, even though I'd been dodging them under his control.   
  
"If you promise me you're all right, then yeah. I'll let One-Eye alone. For now. Are you all right, darlin'?"   
  
I felt like I was sinking through the floor. I hadn't asked about anyone else. Some leader I was. I should just quit while I was ahead.   
  
"Yes, love. I'm all right." Her voice came from a great distance to my hot ears. My head felt heavy and warm, and my body was cold. The carpeting was moving up to meet me, and I met it hard, but with relief.


	11. Readying the Troops

Scott fell heavily to the floor as Jean was putting Logan down. She dropped him, and Kurt leaped to Scott's side.   
  
"Oof!" Logan landed hard, then retracted his claws as Jean sheepishly said, "Sorry, love."   
  
"He'll come around soon. Remy, help me get him to the medilab." Kurt and Gambit carried Scott out, Logan's hot eyes following them.   
  
"Come back for Wyngarde," I called. Keeping Charles' body drugged was the best way of stopping Mastermind for now. We could not keep hitting him, after all, once we had left.   
  
"Still think you shoulda let me take care of him my way." His voice grated over my raw nerves, and I struck out.   
  
"You will do nothing to him, Logan, or you will answer to me." I gathered my power together, ready to blast him with a flood if I had to.   
  
He shrugged and lit a cigar. "I keep my promises."   
  
I sighed. "If you're not doing something else right now, get into your uniforms. We have a date to keep with the mutants who did this to us, and I for one am looking forward to teaching them how wrong they were to think they could destroy us so easily." I released my power slowly and tried to ease the tension in my body as well.   
  
I stayed with the unconscious body of the professor as Rogue left, and then Jean and Logan, holding hands. I tried to concentrate on the battle ahead. Could we count on aid? I hoped so. Currently, our core group was wounded, and I was not sure we could still work together as a unit. Logan was probably going to rage out once we got there. Someone would have to make sure he didn't murder Scott. Scott was a wreck. Jean was an unknown quantity. Kurt had to stay here to monitor Xavier/Wyngarde, though I wished he could come along so that we could talk. I was not sure what effect these weeks had on Remy and Rogue, though I assumed it was not good.


	12. Remy's Reality

I take my time goin' back for Professor/Mastermind. Gotta think about stuff. Give Wolverine time to cool off.

I'm not used to havin' my mind played wit'. Makes the old thief wonder what else he remembers that isn't so.

The pain wasn't real. I been hurtin' Rogue over nothin'. That brings up guilt.

Course, I gotta wonder. If she really abandoned me, would she be so cruel? Would she take into her amour, her Remy so bad?

Non. Gotta stop that. Can't get the bad guys if all Gambit can do is wonder if the woman he loves is worth it.

I get back to the room, but no one's there but Ororo. She's tense, lookin' around like she expect the walls to grow hands and grab her. Her face relaxes a little when she spot my gorgeous self. Like it should.

"Oh, Remy. Thank goodness. How is Scott?"

I light a cigarette. "He okay. Kurt with him, checkin' him out. Making sure that by the time he done, Wolverine have some time to calm down."

She smiled. Beautiful. Hadn't seen her smile in weeks. "Good. I need to check our communications arrays. I'll see if I can contact anyone who can help us. I'll tell the others to meet me there. Tell Scott where to go."

I grin. "Don't think that my place, chere. Logan tell Scott where to go. Remy just enjoy it when he do."

She nearly hit Gambit when she figured it out. "Oh, go on. Take this horrid man out of here. Then come to the communications room." She nearly laughing, though, so I bow deep to her and push the Professor out of the room.

It felt funny, kinda, gettin' the Prof down to the med lab so Kurt can knock him out. Scott was sittin' up, arguing with him when we got back down there.

"I am perfectly all right, Kurt. I do not need further medical attention."

"Your eyes say otherwise, mein freund." Kurt was lookin' at the results from the diagnostic computer. Scott frown and look up at me.

"Remy. Please tell this overgrown carpet that I am well, and perfectly capable of helping the team."

I cock my head. "Homme, you actin' weird. Remy swear he hear you make a joke. That definitely not normal." I load the prof into a bed near Scott while he splutter and Kurt laugh.

"You see? You are not well, and you should stay and rest a few minutes. Now, let's get the Professor sedated." Kurt took over, and I step back to where I can see Scott again. He look miserable, and his eyes were red. Wait. That's normal.

I feel like I should do something to help. Don't know what.

"… can't even help him," I hear Scott say, quiet, as I look for my extra decks of cards.

"Hm?"

"Nothing," he said, louder. "Just, I wish. You know? I wish."

I sit down by him. "What you gonna do now?"

He covered his eyes. "Don't know. I have to help him. He's done so much for me."

I shrug. "Then you gotta take action and put your feelings behind for now. Gotta come with me to the communications room. 'Roro's gonna call for help."

"Easy for you to say."

I get up and move to the door. "Better for you to go when Remy there to run interference. Come on."

"I don't hide behind anyone." Scott gettin' pissed. Good.

"Then let Remy hide behind you. Rogue might be out for his blood." Scott snorted. I push him out the door ahead of me. "Come on, fearless leader, protect Gambit."

He give a real laugh, and we go down to the communication room. Maybe he will be okay.


	13. Taking Action

I tried the Avengers first. Their robot secretary told me that they were off helping rescue some children from a massive fire in Manhattan. I thanked her and shut down the link.

My feelings threatened to boil up and overwhelm me. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to recapture some of the hope from my dreams. Someone had been sending them to me. Someone knew we were in trouble. I had to believe they would notice we were finally free and would be available to us.

Jean came into the room, dressed in her yellow and green uniform, her wedding band bright on her ring finger. She was wearing her engagement ring, a hollowed-out spent bullet that Logan had made for her. She hadn't worn it since Mastermind took us over. "Raised anyone yet?"

I took in a big breath of air and smiled. "No, but I've left a message with the Avengers. I was going to see if any X-men communicators were on-line other than our own next."

"Good." She leaned over the controls. "Try channels two and four first."

"Why those?" I activated channel two as I asked.

She twisted her hands together nervously and sat next to me. "Two is Emma Frost's, four is Hank McCoy's. She has additional firepower from the Academy, and he has the technological and tactical know-how to get us out of this mess."

I waited for a response. Logan came in, a mass of tension, and stood behind me. Jean's fingers clenched on the arms of her chair. The words finally came up on the screen, "Unable to locate communicator device."

"Damn," she murmured.

I sought number four, then, pulse pounding. The door opened and we all jerked around. Rogue backed up a step, eyes wide, hands extended. "Sorry," she said defensively.

I relaxed and turned to the screen. Jean put her right hand over her heart. Logan grunted, "Leave it open."

"All right." She put the doorstop under it and sat by my other side. "Got anyone yet?"

"I sincerely hope so." I waited, hardly breathing, hoping against hope that Hank, that anyone, would answer.

A wonderful, beautiful blue face looked anxiously at us. Hank McCoy was indeed there, glasses pushed up onto his head, wearing his usual black body armor. It was so good to see someone else at last! "Storm? Everyone? Is that really you?"

I felt everyone else relax and I took the time to look at him, glad that he was there. "Yes, Hank. Were you the one sending the message?"

"In a manner of speaking. Our mutual acquaintance Danielle Moonstar was truly the one with the inspiration. I merely created the devices which communicated with your thoughts in your dreams." He frowned. "Who spoke to you at the end of your last dream, Ororo?"

I blinked. "Kurt, Remy, Logan, and Jean."

His face and body relaxed a little. "Good."

"Hank, why didn't you get us out of here faster? Why didn't you send all of us these dreams?" Jean's pain was echoed by the others in the room, including Remy and Scott, who had just arrived. Logan's claws were extended, but he remained standing behind me for the moment.

He sighed. "My friends, I cannot do everything. We tried several assaults on the mansion after we realized that something was wrong. Each one ended up with you, frankly, handing us our heads. We did not want to risk killing you to bring you out."

Shock, dismay, and anger blazed through the room. I tried to speak, but the words got stuck. We had attacked our own people, trying to rescue us?

"Is everyone all right now?" Rogue quivered and Remy came up behind her, rubbing her shoulders gently.

Hank frowned. "I believe we should continue this conversation in person. I do not wish to distress you at this time and seeing that one member of the Hellfire Club has been controlling all of you so thoroughly, I do not entirely trust communications that are not face to face. Let us meet at the Academy to speak further and plan our strategies. McCoy out."

His face vanished from the screen. My heart sank. We might get less help than I had thought from our teammates. Jean was crying. We all remained in place, frozen in our distress.

Logan spoke first. "Suppose those attacks by those demons last month weren't really demons." He was trying to sound natural, but the horror he felt made his efforts futile.

Jean fell to the floor, sobbing. I knelt to hold her and tried to take control. "Scott, you and Remy get your motorcycle and head to the Academy first. Logan, go let Kurt know what we have discovered. Rogue, pick a car from the pool and get it ready for us. I will stay here and help Jean recover enough to make the journey."

Scott left without a question. Remy gave Rogue's right shoulder a final pat and followed him, his usual jaunty gait slowed and stifled. Rogue had nearly made it to the door when Logan snarled at me. "Why are you giving all these orders here? Who are you to decide?" She turned and nearly spoke, then ran from the room.

I held Jean's head in my lap and stroked her hair, trying to calm down. "Because someone has to keep what's left of us together. Are you going to take the lead?" I started burning with anger, shredding my self-control. "Are you, the epitome of tact, going to make sure that we can survive to meet up with Hank and get our revenge? Or are you, at the earliest opportunity, going to murder one of our teammates, who is in as much pain as you?

"Look at her." I roughly turned Jean toward him. "Just look at what this has done to her. Do you want to have her be like this forever? Then keep it up, Logan. Keep on trying to destroy our dream, our family. Or help her. Help us. Do what it takes to get the bastards who did this, even though your heart's breaking."

His eyes locked on Jean, who was sobbing pitifully and wiping her tears on my cloak. His face gentled and he touched her face. "Jeannie." He looked up at me. "You go tell the elf what's up. I'm stayin' here with my wife."

I nodded and swallowed. "Good. I'll go talk to Kurt." If Logan was going to face his pain, I had to face mine. He tenderly lifted Jean from my lap and held her against his chest, whispering in her ear. Her arms closed about him and she smiled through her tears.

I arose from my knees and walked out the door reluctantly. What the consequences would be, I did not know, but I worried they would not be good.


	14. Not So Bad

I tentatively knocked at the door to the medilab, then entered. Kurt was looking down at Professor Xavier in sorrow, but his eyes lit up when he saw me. "Ororo!" He gracefully leaped over to me. "I wondered if I would get the chance to see you before you left."

"We talked to Hank," I said hastily, a bit shy around him. How would he react to me now? "He's having us meet him at the Academy."

"Anything else?" His smiling face was too close to mine, but I did not want to move away. I tried to concentrate on breathing.

"He didn't want to say too much. Apparently he and Moonstar worked together to send me those dreams I'd been having. About us." I looked away from him. "I guess we'll learn more there."

"Geliebt Ororo?" He faced me, questions in his eyes. "Why do you turn away? Why did you not come to see me before?"

"I wasn't sure if you wanted to see me." I shifted my weight from left to right. "Seeing how badly everyone else has been affected, I thought perhaps you would find me too much to bear."

He theatrically declaimed, "My lady is always too much to bear! That is why I am glad her winds can do it for me." He winked at a non-existent audience and I, chuckling, took his hand. He turned his attention to me and sobered up. "No, liebchen Ororo. Now that I know how things stand between us, I am overwhelmed with joy."

I swallowed. "The others still have serious problems."

"I know." He put his arm around me. "That is why, instead of asking you to stay and see if the beds are as comfortable as they say," he said, in a bad Groucho Marx voice while he waggled his eyebrows enthusiastically, "I will merely demand a kiss before you go to take care of things. Come back to me soon, mein starker Wind, with good news."

Heat rose to my cheeks through my laughter, but I leaned into him and gave him the kiss he asked for. I relished the feel of his body in my arms, his velvet lips against mine, but pulled away from him far before he or I were ready to stop. "I have to go. I still need to put on my uniform."

He touched my abdomen gently. "Be careful out there for all of us."

"I shall," I promised.

I found the strength to leave him and hurried into a spare uniform from one of the lockers. It was past time to figure out all of this mystery, and to do something about it.


	15. Jean's Reality

I always thought I would grow up and marry Scott Summers. The two of us had so much in common. We almost grew up together. We adopted the X-men as our families when our own were unable to care for us. We spent time together, including one wild, romantic night on Chesapeake Bay that … well, was very intimate.

But he never said he loved me. Not once. Funny, isn't it? We both knew he did, yet he never told me. Then Logan came and I was swept away.

In the back of my head, though, I always kept a little love for him. Sometimes, not very often, I would sit back and wonder what would have happened if we had married instead.

I don't wonder any more now.

I curled into my husband's body, burying my face in his chest. Why he is so understanding, why he doesn't condemn me for my actions, I don't know. I truly believed I was married to Scott and acted accordingly for … most of the time. I still felt a little guilty for being so willing to cheat on Scott, too. Would it have been this way if we had really gotten married?

He stroked my back and muttered nonsense into my hair until I grew calmer. Then he sat me up and looked deep into my eyes. "Ready yet?"

"I don't know." I pulled away from him. "I'm not dealing well with this."

He sat next to me, not trying to touch, just being with me. "What?"

"Everything. Having been 'married' to Scott. The team turning against each other. Our attacking those who came to help us." I hugged my knees. "Everything."

He thought for a moment, then spoke. "Ya know, Mastermind screwed with our minds once when you were 'dead.' I've told you about … her before."

Mariko. His Japanese love. Yes. He told me about her when I came back, then broke off their engagement. They were still good friends.

"He made her hate me, leave me at the altar. He also tried to make us think Madelyne was the Phoenix come back. So I know that whatever we did, it wasn't us doin' it. Simple as that." He held his hand out to me. "Besides, it didn't work all the way. We kept fightin' it. That's why we … got back together."

I took his hand. "I guess." I paused. "Scott really did fight it, too." He shifted uncomfortably, but I kept his hand tight in mine. "He knew we weren't supposed to be together, deep down."

"Funny way of showin' it," he growled.

"What else could he do? You already said that it's Mastermind's fault. Why do you believe it when it's me, but not about him?"

He got to his feet and helped me up. "If you're able to ask questions like that, darlin', you're able to fight. Let's go."

"And the answer?" I pulled him back.

He looked straight into my eyes. "Let's just say he doesn't smell right when I'm around him."

I walked with him, confused and scared, but glad to be with him. I think, all things considered, I did make the right choice.


	16. Answers

The Massachusetts Academy seemed smaller than I remembered it when I first saw it on the horizon. As we approached, I realized why. Two of the buildings had been blasted to bits. The others all showed signs of damage, from broken windows to scorched walls. Rogue gripped the steering wheel tightly, the first to speak. "We … didn't do that. Did we?"

"Nope." Logan opened the door and breathed deeply. "Wrong attack pattern. Probably a Hellfire Club assault."

"Oh, good." Jean got out and stretched her legs. "Just what we need."

"How recent?" I walked over to Scott's motorcycle. It looked fine.

Logan shrugged. "Probably a week or two ago. Musta been a hell of a fight. Wish I'd been here."

"I think we all wish we'd been here." Rogue picked up a piece of broken glass.

We walked toward the main door cautiously, avoiding the odd bits of glass, wood, and other debris scattered over the steps. Logan moved ahead and called, "Hank. Come on out. It's really us."

Further back in the dark hallway, Hank McCoy approached us warily. He wore his full body armor and carried an assault rifle loosely. "What is my middle name, Logan?"

Logan snorted. "Same as mine, for all I know."

Rogue laughed. "Got you there, Hank."

He holstered the rifle but kept his suspicious eyes on us. "Come on. We can talk back in the kitchen. Thankfully, we managed to drive off the interlopers without severe damage to our culinary supplies."

He waited for us to pass him, then followed us as we walked. We heard laughter down one corridor to our right. "What is down there?" I shivered a little.

"Keep moving. The children needed some place to play. We put them there."

"Remy and Scott make it all right?" Logan lit a cigar.

"Our friends are waiting for your arrival, as you shall see in due time."

When we got to the kitchen, there were five people seated around the table. There were three empty chairs. Remy was draped comfortably over a chair he had turned backwards, talking to a woman wearing long hot pink robes with little stars and moons on them and a long conical wizard's hat, also in hot pink. Scott stood at the counter, watching the others, looking relieved, then tensing as we entered. Warren sat next to Remy but was leaning back to ask Scott a question. Rahne Sinclair looked up from her conference with Dani Moonstar to stare at us. She had three long, thin scars down the right side of her face that were probably made by Logan's claws.

Hank cleared his throat and the conversations stopped. The woman in hot pink turned around. She had red hair, brown eyes, and a big smile. She spoke in a Monty Python style British accent. "So, they all made it back despite the soft pillows and now they have to endure … The Comfy Chair!"

A few chuckles met her statement. Rogue stared at her. "Raven?"

She blinked a little. "Marsha? Is that you?" She spoke in an American accent now, deepened her voice and held her hands toward Rogue. "It has been … so long, my dear."

"Oh, God. It is you." Rogue stomped to a chair beside Rahne and sat down. "Just please, don't go into your stupid fake Asian accent."

"Rogue?" I took a seat next to her. "Who is that woman?"

Hank cleared his throat again. "All will be explained in due time. Please … oh, dear. We don't have enough chairs. Well, sit in one if you can, and if not, sit on the counter."

Jean took the last available seat. Logan stood in front of the table, snarling a little at Scott, who pretended not to notice and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Ahem. All of us happened to be away for one reason or another from the mansion when the groups we were with got an urgent message from Charles. He told us he needed you for a special project at the mansion and not to disturb you for any reason. For about a week's duration, we all obeyed the orders we were given without question. But then, some of us began speculating that something was wrong.

"For one, Charles said nothing to Madelyne about Scott's prolonged absence. We told her what he had said, certainly, but for Scott not to try to communicate with her was highly suspicious. For another, Sam Guthrie reported that he had gone by the mansion and saw Rogue outside. When he hailed her, she shook her head, muttered something about canine conniptions, and traversed the grounds back to the mansion.

"So a few of us went to try to talk to Charles. That first group was thoroughly thrashed by you and then the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants launched its first attack against the Avengers, with whom I, Bobby, and Northstar were staying. We became busy taking care of them, calling in other X-teams to bolster our forces, and so on. Then, once we finally had them captured, they insisted they had been hired by the Hellfire Club.

"Well. We sent in a better armed team next time to try to extract you from the mansion, but you still trounced us handily. So the New Mutants – without informing anyone – went in on their own while we were planning to assault the Hellfire Club headquarters." He frowned at Rahne, who squirmed in her chair.

"What else could we do, then? Leave 'em to die?"

"You could have waited. We were thoroughly routed because we did not have your support, and we were counting on it!" Rahne shrank away from Hank, who suddenly did look like the Beast he was named.

"So we had to eat Robin's minstrels. And there was much rejoicing. Yay." Raven smiled cheerily as Hank turned to her.

"Shut up. It's not your turn yet." He paused and wiped a huge hand over his face. "At any rate, we decided at last to do research, rather than run into a situation we knew nothing about and endanger our teammates' lives." He glared at Rahne, who was still cowering in her chair. He then looked at the others present and grinned. "Luckily, I figured out what was going on with some help and a little luck. Mastermind was playing his tricks again. I was not certain what action to take. Thankfully, Dani survived the attempt to free you from the mansion. Raven showed up here, then, as a gift from Dr. Strange." He put emphasis on the word gift.

"What, a wise guy? Soitinly." Raven's Curly Joe imitation went off without a hitch.

"As you say." He rolled his eyes. "Raven, with her magical talent, scoped the mansion out and discovered that our plan, to activate someone's true memories inside in their dreams, would only work on you, Storm."

"Why?" I was intrigued.

Raven turned to me and shrugged. "'Cause you were the only one with mage potential. The others are as Muggle as Muggle can be. Well, except blue, dark, and handsome, but it isn't his magic. He probably grew up with a powerful witch. Or rolls in pixie dust regularly." She hurried on at Hank's angry look. "Anyway, he had the technology, and Dani had the ability to make it real once I did it, but I was the one who actually made them up. The dreams. Especially the last one."

"Why'd it take so long?" Logan loomed over Raven pugnaciously.

Hank spoke again. "Because we had huge numbers of wounded mutants, constant assaults by others hired by the Hellfire Club … you did notice how they helped redecorate the front lawn? … and it took some time to figure out what was wrong and how to help you."

Raven smiled sweetly at Logan. "What he said. It took some time for Ororo to trust her dreams. Also, searching through personalities and for memories is hard work, especially when you're trying to be sneaky about it."

He growled, but turned from her and faced Hank again. "Go on."

Raven spoke again, more seriously this time. Her accent was now similar to Kitty's. "We made up the last dream carefully. Dr. McCoy insisted on monitoring you, Ororo, as we did our work to see what effects it had on you physically. That's how we found out about the baby. You were probably wondering."

I frowned. I had wondered how the dream could have predicted my pregnancy before I knew it myself.

Hank took up the thread of the conversation. "We then sent you that last dream and waited for your response. We thought if it was effective, we would hear from you soon, so I hooked up my communicator to the general grid here and waited for your call."

"Why couldn't we contact Emma?" Jean, like most of us, was frowning.

Hank cleared his throat, but Dani spoke. "She was with the second assault team. You blasted her hard. She got trapped somehow in what you did. We're hoping that when you free the Professor from the astral plane, he'll be able to help her."

I managed to find my voice again. "Has anyone died because of … what happened?"

"A few." Hank looked away from us. "DaCosta got taken down by the Hellfire Club. Sam Guthrie died leading the New Mutants team when they tried to get you out, but that was an accident. Tabitha Smith has vanished. We think she is probably deceased, but we cannot tell."

Silence. Awkward silence. I didn't want to know more.


	17. Family Matters

Author's Note: Apologies to all. I haven't been updating. This was supposed to be a simple little Kuroro love fic when I started it. It turned into a huge plot dinosaur, with the Hellfire Club to destroy, Professor X to rescue, and numerous X-men with such twisted love lives that I'm not sure how they can work together after all this is over. (But we'll try, of course.) Even with more regular updates (if I can do them), this will be a while before it's done. But in any event, this is the latest chapter. Enjoy, and do accept my apologies.

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We had all separated into different rooms at the Academy, taking some time to unwind and prepare for our assault on the Hellfire Club. I was wiping away the last of my tears when I heard her coming down the hall to my door. "Scott?"

I locked my arms across my chest and turned around, using all my hard-won self-control to look directly at her. Her face was thinner and the dark circles under her eyes were prominent against her pale skin. "Lynn."

She ran to me and held on tight, pressing her body against mine. I kept myself stiff, unmoving, though I wanted to just let go and wrap my tainted soul around her, losing myself in her taste. "I wasn't sure when you'd be coming back. I wasn't sure if you'd be alive, or if you'd remember me and the kids afterward. It's so good to see you!"

She hadn't been told. I had to tell her. I released my arms and pushed gently at her shoulders. "Let go, Lynn."

She snuggled against me. "Come see the kids. They've missed you." She pulled back and smiled into my sunglasses, my prison. "So have I."

"Sit down." I took a chair and turned it around, shielding my body from further frontal assaults, as my wife sat on the narrow bed and leaned forward eagerly.

"While Mastermind controlled us in the mansion … we all did some things we aren't proud of. He locked away or changed our memories of our lives to keep us the way he wanted." I looked at the Monet print on the wall and spoke to it, re-folding my arms and keeping my words as neutral as possible. "For me, he convinced me I was married to Jean."

Silence. Lynn didn't move or speak. I tried to concentrate on the painting. How would I feel if I put a hand into the dark water? It would chill my fingers, I decided.

"What do you mean?" Her voice was tentative, hesitant, suddenly loud in the uncomfortable silence.

I glanced at her quickly. She was suspicious, pulled into herself, her left hand nervously tapping against the blue flowers on the bedspread. I swallowed a little and spoke to Claude again. "I mean probably everything you think. I thought I was married to her. I acted accordingly." The muscles in my right cheek twitched a little from the strain. I released a hand and adjusted my glasses, which had slid down on my nose a little.

She made a little pitiful sound, then stood up. "What does that mean?"

I kept my eyes on the painting. "I … I don't know."

She sat down again hard. I looked over. Her left hand shaded her eyes, bright wedding band giving shape to my guilt. I looked away again. "And Jean … what about Logan? Oh, my God, Scott. Why are you still alive?" She ran over to me and pulled on my arm. "He's not going to kill you, is he?"

I faced her. Her anxious eyes searched out my face, a tear poised in her left eye. "Do you want him to, Lynn?" I couldn't say any of the things I was thinking. Please say no. Say you forgive me. Please, whatever you say, don't stop me from seeing Alex and Janet…

"Of course not!" She pulled back and looked at me fiercely. "I love you. I don't want you to die. Don't even think about it."

She loved me still? She loved me? I tried to keep it back, but the grief and amazement at her words overwhelmed me, and I started crying again. She pulled me to the bed and held me a little while, calming me until my breathing evened out and I was able to speak once more. She took my hands then and took in a large gulp of air. "I said I love you. I do. This doesn't mean, though, that what you did won't affect our relationship."

I tried to pull my hands out of her grasp, but she clamped down hard. "No. Listen to me. Once you're back, we can try to work things out, okay? I just don't want to make promises right now. But no matter what, you're spending time with the kids before you go and after you come back."


	18. Storm's Strategy

I gathered together my assault team with some worry and reluctance. We had all been shaken by the idea that we had harmed, had killed those for whom we cared. But I had to put aside my feelings again, cling to the memory of those warm blue velvet dreams, and believe we could work together as a team again.

If I could not believe it, I could not make others believe it.

We assembled back in the kitchen after taking stock of weapons and other supplies. Our assault team was gathered there: Remy, Rogue, Jean, Scott, Logan, and Raven.

I cleared my throat. "The others are going back to the mansion under Hank's command." Their eyes tracked me as I began pacing. "I, of course, must hold back some because of my condition, so I shall coordinate efforts outside."

"Can't do it without someone to back ya up, Storm." Logan leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. "No matter how good ya are at hidin', someone can always find you."

I frowned. "I should be fine outside."

"He's right," Scott said quietly, standing apart from the others, head bent as if in prayer. "I won't let you do this alone."

"I won't either, sugar. Neither will the rest of the team. Raven's … unique, but she agrees with me." Rogue spoke and Raven nodded once, eyes grave, but with a small smile on her face.

"Fine," I sighed. "Which of you will stand guard over me?"

"Not us, Storm. Kurt." Remy casually pulled a cigarette from his pocket. Rogue glared at him and he just as casually tossed it to the floor. "Hank'll take over from him no problem, then he come join us."

"You set this up." I felt tremendous relief. They had worked together ahead of time to figure this out. They could still work as a team.

"Guilty." Jean's face was calm, her voice relaxed. "We told Hank to take over for Kurt before he left. Kurt should be here soon."

I put aside the pleasure washing over me at the idea of seeing my fiancé again to focus on our mission. "Very well. Now that we are all here, let me tell you what I have learned." I unfolded some blueprints on the table. "The portion of the Hellfire Club that has been coming after us has its headquarters on the 45th floor of this office building in New York. The two floors above and below it are empty, but all the others are occupied with various businesses. This is how the floor was laid out when these plans were filed with the city. Supposedly." I watched as they all leaned in to take a look at the sheets on the table.

"However, I contacted some of the contractors who were hired to do "renovations" after those plans were filed with the city. Using what they told me, we constructed these blueprints instead." I pulled out the other set of blueprints and unfolded them on top of the first set.

The changes were startling, and I had not even begun to detail them. The group huddled together over the plans, poring over them and discussing them in low tones. "Lots more open space here, for what?" "…all the wiring leading to this room, must mean somethin'…" " … go in here for cover."

We discussed strategy for a while, then came up with a plan we all liked which should gain us the upper hand.

If we are lucky.

If everything goes as planned.

I leaned a little on Kurt as we left the confines of the Academy. He easily took my weight as we headed out for my observation post in a building a block away from the Hellfire Club assault building.


	19. Rogue's Reality

All my life, I've dreamed of the perfect knight comin' along. He'd love me and be utterly perfect. As a teenager, I even wrote down the things he'd have to be before I'd be willing to ride away with him on his white horse.

Isn't it funny how life works out?

I never thought I could fall for a known criminal, despite my history of law breakin'. I never thought when I did that I wouldn't change him, make him want to stop.

I've never even asked him to try.

Like I said, funny. For the past several weeks, it was like I was that teenaged girl again, arrogant and judgmental, unwilling to forgive. "You messed up? Fine. You can't be the one I'm lookin' for."

Now I feel embarrassed. Remy said I shouldn't worry about it, that he understands. I do too, I guess. Mastermind's one powerful mutant, after all.

I can't help feeling ashamed, though. Remy's no white knight, but he didn't deserve what I put him through.

So I turn to Raven, though I remain cuddled in Remy's arms. I met Raven when I was still with Mystique. She was as goofy then as she is now, overacting and clowning around worse than Bobby does.

She does it with her magic, too. When Pyro targeted her with his fire, she started screaming "I want to go home" and hit her shoes together three times. She vanished.

Yeah. It got pretty bad. Mama's not the kind who can take that kind of joke, though Pyro was laughin' his ass off by the end. Hell, in between bein' mad at her for hurting my friends, I thought she was funny. We never saw her again after that one fight we had, but Mama still probably had her eye out for the little witch.

"So why'd you volunteer for this little mission, Raven?"

She turned, her hot pink hat nearly falling off her head. She caught it easily, shook a white rabbit out of it, and put it back on. I groaned and caught the rabbit, holding it gently as its sides trembled. "Who told you I volunteered, eh?" She raised one eyebrow, pretending to be suspicious.

I laughed. "Come on. I know you. No way anyone's tellin' you to do something you don't like."

Her face got as innocent as a five year old kid's. "Hey, I do whatever the voices in my head tell me to do." She gave a wicked grin. "Besides, this will give me the chance to practice some of my new spells."

"New spells?" Remy took the rabbit from me and opened the window, watching as Scott slowed for the light, then letting the animal go.

"Oh, laws, we got spells, me and Joe. Don't we, Joe?" Raven pulled out a golden wand with a star at the top made of a lacy golden fabric, dotted with gold sequins. It was amazingly tacky. She caressed it as she spoke. "Ah, me and Joe."

Remy's body was shaking against mine. I had to bite my lip to keep from laughin' myself. "So, do you do any other impersonations?"

She raised an eyebrow, all playfulness gone in a heartbeat. "Of course not. Put down that silly thing, Raven, and pay attention for once." The tone, the words, the gestures, all were Dr. Strange, all right. Remy started laughing, I didn't try to fight it either, and even Scott made a noise I'd swear was laughter from the front.

Her eyes lit up. "Facetiousness is welcome, Raven, but not in dire circumstances such as … oh, bother. You are going to continue with these shenanigans regardless." I howled. That was our Beast, all right.

She continued, and we laughed, until we entered the city. I couldn't laugh any more. My aching ribs suddenly seemed like a warning. A judgement.

He took my hand. "Chere. Remy here."

I smiled, for him. "I'm glad. I think I might be runnin' otherwise."


End file.
